Sen. Lugar fights for political life in GOP primary

Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar sounded a positive note this morning as he faces the fight of his political career.

"We've got a vigorous campaign. I believe in fact that we're going to win the campaign," the embattled Republican said on CNN's Starting Point with Soledad O'Brien.

"This is it. Today is the day," Lugar said. State law prevents him from seeking re-election as an independent if he loses the GOP nomination.

Lugar, 80, is in an intraparty fight against state Treasurer Richard Mourdock, who is backed by Tea Party supporters such as Sarah Palin and outside groups such as FreedomWorks and Club for Growth. Early voting through Friday was 40% lower than it was in 2008, when there was record turnout in the state's primary.

Mourdock has tried to paint Lugar as an unreliable conservative, pointing to his work with Democrats such as President Obama, and has made an issue of the senator living in Virginia and not Indiana.

Lugar dismissed those charges, saying he tried to be inclusive because that's what needed to win an election in Indiana.

"Those of us who are Republicans need to make certain that we enlarge our party, that we have people who will be independents in the past who are going to be independent Republicans, and independents generally, if we're going to favor our party," he said.

A bipartisan statewide poll released Friday showed Lugar 10 points behind his GOP challenger. If Lugar loses, he would be the first six-term Republican senator to lose his renomination bid in 100 years, according to the SmartPolitics blog.

Lugar repeated today what has been seen by some as an unusual plea to Hoosiers, asking Democrats and independents to cross party lines and vote for him in today's open primary. Lugar, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also has made the pitch that he is better suited than Mourdock to handle questions of foreign policy and the economy.

The GOP primary winner will face Democratic Rep. Joe Donnelly in the fall. Depending on the primary outcome, political analysts believe the Indiana race could be a competitive one and play a role in partisan control of the Senate.

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About Catalina Camia

Catalina Camia leads the OnPolitics online community and has been at USA TODAY since 2005. She has been a reporter or editor covering politics and Congress for two decades, including stints at The Dallas Morning News and Congressional Quarterly. Follow her at @USATOnPolitics.